There is a plurality of fuels from which hydrogen may be produced. These fuels include, but are not limited to, hydrocarbons, oxygenated hydrocarbons, liquid fuels, water, and ammonia. The most common methods of producing hydrogen today involve the reforming of hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst at elevated temperatures. Steam reforming, partial oxidation and autothermal reforming are the primary methods of producing hydrogen. Alternative reactions which may be employed include the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons, oxygenated hydrocarbons, liquid fuels, water, and ammonia.
Steam methane reforming is an endothermic process that is currently the most widely used process for producing hydrogen at an industrial scale. The primary steam reformer is typically operated at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1000 degrees Celsius. The steam methane reforming process consists of reacting methane with steam to produce a mixed stream of gases consisting of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, and hydrocarbons according toxCH4+(x+y)H2O→(3x+y)H2+(x+y)CO+yCO2 It should also be noted that other feedstocks may be used as a substitute in the steam reforming process, including higher molecular weight hydrocarbons, oxygenated hydrocarbons, and liquid fuels.
Partial oxidation involves the substoichiometric combustion of the feedstock to achieve the temperatures necessary to reform the hydrocarbon fuel. Catalytic decomposition of the fuel to primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide occurs through thermal reactions at high temperatures of about 600 degrees Celsius to about 1200 degree Celsius, and preferably, between about 700 degrees Celsius and about 1050 degree Celsius. An example of the partial oxidation reforming reaction is as follows:CH4+½O2→CO+2H2 
Autothermal reforming is a combination of the steam reforming and the partial oxidation reactions. The net heat of reaction for autothermal reforming is zero—that is, the heat produced by the exothermic partial oxidation reaction is fully consumed by the endothermic steam reforming reaction.
Processing or reforming of hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline may provide an immediate fuel source, such as for the rapid start up of a fuel cell, and also protect the fuel cell by breaking down long chain hydrocarbons and removing impurities. Fuel reforming may include mixing fuel with air, water and/or steam in a reforming zone before entering the reformer system, and converting a hydrocarbon such as gasoline or an oxygenated fuel such as methanol into hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), along with carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4), nitrogen (N2), and water (H2O).
The use of a catalyst may result in acceleration of the reforming reactions and also enable the use of lower reaction temperatures than would otherwise be required in the absence of a catalyst. Typically, base metal catalysts are employed in the aforementioned processes used in industrial hydrogen production. These base metal catalysts are dispersed on the surface of a stoichiometric ceramic support. An irreversible loss in activity during operation is inevitable. During operation the catalyst performance degrades due to thermal, mechanical and/or chemical deactivation mechanisms. Examples of chemical and mechanical catalyst deactivation in hydrogen production are poisoning by sulfur chemisorption and fouling by carbon deposition (coking), respectively. Thermal deactivation mechanism include a decline in the density of catalytically active sites or dispersion (sintering) and a loss in surface area of the support (sintering & coarsening of pores) which reduces the accessibility to the active sites.
Of the aforementioned deactivation mechanisms, coking is the only truly reversible reaction for which the loss in activity is recoverable through a process known as regeneration. Regeneration involves the gasification of the carbon with hydrogen, oxygen, air, carbon dioxide or water. Removal of sulfur from the catalyst via reaction with water, hydrogen or oxygen is impractical because the high temperatures that are required cause sintering of most base metal catalysts. Lastly, sintering of base metal catalysts is an irreversible process; however, re-dispersion of noble metal catalysts is possible.
Thus, there is a need for a catalyst system that is more resistive to chemical, mechanical and thermal degradation. The present novel technology addresses these needs.